Caregiving in dementia: Emotional and behavioral challenges

ABSTRACT

With meager resources and lack of awareness in Pakistan, the phenomenon of caregiving poses a great challenge for those living with the frail elderly suffering from chronic illness. This article highlights how the informal caregivers are ingrained in this painstaking process due to sociocultural obligations. The purpose of this qualitative study was to carry out in-depth analyses of the lived experiences of the caregivers of patients with dementia and to explore the emotional and behavioral problems faced by them. On the basis of the emergent themes, the researchers would propose a therapeutic intervention plan for the caregivers that would enable them to provide adequate caregiving. The research strategy employed was Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Eight participants were selected from government hospitals in Lahore, Pakistan through homogenous purposive sampling. After ensuring confidentiality and taking consent, data were collected through semistructured interviews that were recorded and transcribed. In-depth analyses were carried out followed by thematic analyses. Moreover, data were verified through clarifying researcher’s bias, peer review, and rich thick description. The most significant themes regarding maladaptive behaviors came out to be reactivity and self-neglect; whereas significant maladaptive emotions were worry, low frustration tolerance, and anger. This study would be helpful towards devising appropriate therapeutic intervention for the caregivers in the Pakistani sociocultural context.

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Dr. Imran Ijaz Haidar, Head of the Memory Clinic at Fatima Memorial Hospital Lahore, and Dr. Nasrullah, Neuro Clinic Lahore Pakistan, for referrals of the participants in this project. The authors also thank Mr. Nauman Mirza, PhD, Scholar Cooperative Research Centre for Greenhouse Gas Technologies, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, and The University of Melbourne, Australia, for providing assistance in accessing the latest literature. No financial grant was received for this project.